Nov 26, 2012 1:25 PM

This spider has decided to pitch up tent right outside our front door.

Having initially panicked and assumed by its web that it was a Funnel Web spider, we have done some research and are guessing that it is a Tube Web Spider. Can anyone help us confirm this? I have heard Tube Web spiders are now quite common in South West London, and being in Wimbledon that would make sense.

Also, does anyone have any idea how we might remove him? It would be tricky as he retreats into the wall. If he were anywhere else I would leave him alone, however he is right by our front door and in order to unlock the door your hand more or less brushes past his web and so I'm not keen on him staying as he his HUGE! My boyfriend doesn't want to kill him and has named him Frank!!

Are there companies that will come and remove big spiders without killing them?

Any help much appreciated!

Of course if it's not a Tube Web and something more sinister then I'm moving house....

I think this is probably a large female Segestria florentina, the Tube Web Spider, although I cannot be 100 percent certain from the photos. Catching Tube Web Spiders takes nerves of steel and fast hands. Firstly you need to entice it completely out of its tube by touching one of its tripwires as far away from the tube as posible (usually five or six inches) - I normally do this with a very fine blade of grass. This is where you have to hold your nerve as the spider will launch itself from its tube at quite a rate of knots and as it attacks the grass with the other hand you cut off its retreat with a piece of paper. The spider will then leg it either up or down the wall and can be caught with relative ease in a funnel of paper or a glass. Be carefull not to step on any of the kittens you will have had while enjoying this fast paced process. Segestria can be a little on the bitey side so be carefull if you are handling them.